Music-sheet feeder



Jax-1. 30, 1923. A1,443,584

B. E. MILLS, Muslc SHEET FEEDER,

Fl LED AUG. 3. 1921 3 SHEETS-SHEET l Patented Jan. 30, 1923.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BERTIE E. MILLS, 0F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T0 MILLS NOVELTY COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

MUSIC-SHEET FEED ER.

Application filed August 3, 1921.

To all lwhom 1f/mary concern.'

Be it known that I, Bnii'rm E. MILLS, a citizen of the United States, residing at 231 South Green Street, Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Music-Sheet Feeders, of which the followin r is a specification.

tMy invention relates to an improvement in the music-sheet feeder of U. S. Letters Patent No. 1,302,439, dated April 29, 1919, to H. K. Sandell; and it relates particularly to an improvement in the friction-ciutch feature which co-operates with the musicroll drive-shaft.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a view in front elevation of the musicsheet feeder embodying my improvement; Figure 2 is a view of the same in end elevation; Figure 3 is a Section on line 3-3, Fig. 1, diagrammatically illustrated, and Figure 4 is a section on line 4 4 of Fig. 3.

lVith the exception of my improved feature, the mechanism Inav be that shown and described in the Letters `Patent to which reference is made; so that only so much of the said mechanism illustrated in the present drawings need be described. herein as is required for understanding the construction and operation in connection therewith of my improvement.

To facilitate identifying parts with the aforesaid patent, the reference-numerals in the latter are employed in the following` description on corresponding parts to be described in connection with the present drawings.

The armature-shaft of the electric motor 70 carrying the fly-wheel 73 is provided with the studs 74 for engaging the T-head 75 of the Worm-shaft 7 6 meshing with the housed worm-wheel 83 to drive the feed-roll 55 for taking up from the music-roll 123 the musicsheet 2 3. The sheet crosses the contactroll 148 in driving contact therewith and against which the contact brushes, one of which is represented at 203 (Fig. 3), actthrough the sheet-perforations. On the outer end of the music-roll drive-shaft 105 carrying the pinion 104, to which rotation is imparted by the gear 8G for rewinding the music-sheet through the idler 100, is provided the clutch-device which is the subject of my present improvement, hereinafter de- Serial No. 489,469.

scribed, but which involves the cyiindrical member 108 on the shaft 105 and the outer ring 109, adapted to be locked together as shown and described in said patent, the outer ring serving as a brake-drum against which bear the opposed leather brake-shoes 113 carried by the curved ends of a pair of arms 115.

The stub-shaft 150 extending from an end of the contact-roll 14S and having a bearing in the governor-frame 165, carries the bevei gear 168 meshing with the bevel pinion 169 on the vertical shaft 170, which carries the wabble-governor 175. Below this governor, on the governor-shaft 17 0, is mounted the sliding contact-collar 17 6 connected with the governor by the link 177 and bearing against the contact-brush 179 in the upwardly projecting end of the pendulum 180.

I have extended the brake-shoe arms 175 scissors-Eike to provide the arm-extensions 5 and 6. 0n the terminal end of the area 5 is rigidlyY suspended an electromagnet 7 to present the lower end of its core to an adjustable armature 8, shown as the head of u, bolt supported in thc corresponding end of a lower arm-extension (3. The clef romagna? is thus floatingly supported to vibrate `with the clutch-members, and its weight holds the iower brake-shoe on the ring 109, but without material braking pressure, while that of the upper brake-shoe is maintained on the ring by a stop-finger 9 extending from one arm 115 underneath the extension. of the other arm and serving, besides7 to prevent sagging of the latter. Y

As represented in the diagrammatic vic-,W (Fig. 3), the electromagnet 7 is included in the circuit of a source of electrical current indicated at 10.

The wire 11 leads from one side of the source of cuiront-supply through the ciectromagnet and through the i usulated Muding-post to the pc dulum-l f i 'from which it connects thro gh the 172 namely, to brake the shaft 105 to maintain a degree of tension on the travelling musicsheet that will cause it to exert the degree oriiriction on the contact-roller 14S necessary :tor drivii'ig` the letter7 my improvement periornis the additional Yfunction of automatically varying,` ther braking pressure on the music-roll in the ratio of variations in its diameter produced by the unwinding oit the sheet therefrom; and this is accomplished in 'the present instance bythe govA ernor-1neclu `:sin as follows:

is aad-roll 55 increases in diameter L; speed (say9 of eicven i'ieet per term `die d minut@ o the sheet across the contact-roll and the speed of the feed-roll is regulated by the governor. ilsthe feed-rod diameter increases and therefore tends feed the sheet raster7 it necessarily turns the con-r tacteroll 148 faster and causes the governor to raise the collar 176 :ind break contact with the brush 179, which Contact normally gives the motor TO full current. Each time tl'ie contact is broken (as it may be a thousand times7 duringpaying; ont of the sheet trein the music-roll), the motor ited through a rrsistance (denoted 303 in Fig. ll() of the aioresaiclL patent)7 thereby reducing the motor-speed to slow that oit the sheet until 'the 125oreruor again makes the circuitclosing1 contact to again speed up the motor. .lfhe feedy olf the sheet is thus maintained practically uniform, as explained in the said patent.

tbviously, r-,f'heii the diameter ot the sheet on the music-roll is relatively large and that on the iced-roll relatively small, the maximum brake-pressure is required and the governor acts to cause more current to be supplied iff'or (,lriving` the reco-roll9 the contacts between the collar 176 and brush 179 being); then oit relative-ly long;- duration, whereby the energizings ot the electromagnet are correspondingly long` and the clutchpressure is accordingly long; As the diameter or the sheet on the feed-roll 55 increases, the cfrintact--durations lessen, thereby decreasing` the durations of the energizing ei'iiect on the electromagnet and accordingly those of the ciu -ch pressure.

Yl realise that among; the advantages oit my invention, it al'iords the peculiar :uilvautage whether nibodied in the mechanism herein illustrated and described or in other suitable torni, ofautomaticeliy varying the braking pressure on the roll in the ratio ot variations in its di meter ol the music-sheet by unwinding therefrom. l do not7 there tore, intend to limit my inrention to the details oi 'the construction herein shown ci;-l

ce't as pointed out in the appended claims7 in which it is my intention to claim all the iin uniformity of the prede-V novelty inherent in the invention as broadly as permissible by the state of the art.

l claim:

l. ln a` musicsheet feeder, the combination with rotatory sheet-connected music avid tallzenp r 'lis9 ol` a clutch-device comprising brake-shoes embracing` said musicroll, and means connected with the brakeshoes operating` to vary their pressure on the uuisic-roll in the ratio or decrease of the diameter or the sheet thereon by paying out t here from. i

2. ln e inusiosheet feeder, the combination with rotetory sheet-con ected music and taireup rolls, oft a magnetic clutch-device comprisinr;v brake-shoes en'ibracing said musi@ roll and carrying an electromagnet, an electric circuit including said electron'iagnet and means included in said circuit operating to vary the pressure of the brakeshoes on the snsiceroil in the ratio of decrease Aof the diameter of the sheet thereon by paying` out therefrom.

fn a music-sheet feeder, the combination ii th rotatory sheet-connected music and take-up rolls, an intermediate roll rotated by the sheet it traifelling across it, end gow erironniechanisni geared to said intermediate roll ano contained in an electric maire-andbrealf circuit controlled by the rotation oit a. magnetic clutch device comprisineke-shoes bearing lon said inusioroll au electro-magnet included in said cir- 1 and connected with said. brake-shoes to ratio ot deci ease of the diameter of the sheet there n by paying out therefrom.

fi. .in a iuusicsheet feeder, the combination with rotat'ory sheet connected music and take-up rolls, an intermediate roll rotated by the sheet in travelling;h across ity and governorenechanism geared to said intermediate .roll and contained in an electric make-andbreak circuit controlled b v the rotation thereof, eta magnetic-clutch device comprising' scissors-like brake-shoes embracin@- said music-rollend having' an armature on one arm and on the other arm an elec tromagnet included in said circuit,

5. ln a music-sheet 'tec/ler, the combinan tion with rotatory sheet-connected music and telreeup rolls, an intermediate roll rotated by the sheet in travelliiig across it.I and row ernor-mechanism geared to sai d intermediate roll and contained in an electric make-and break circuit controlled by the rotation thereoli5 of a magnetic-clutch device comprisin brake-shoes provided on scissors-like arms to embrace said music-roll, said arms having extensions rthe lower ci `which carries an armature and the upper an clectroinairnet included in said circuit. and a` stop extend ing` from one arm underneath he extension of the other arm.

y BERTE E. MILLS. 

